4.3 Read 132 reviews
Overview
On-site in Tartu 27 July - 7 August 2026
This course introduces participants to the foundational principles of human-robot interaction (HRI) with a focus on social robotics (SR) in education. Through a blend of lectures, practical workshops, and group assignments, participants will:
- Explore the design and development of social robots.
- Learn how to evaluate and refine robots’ social capabilities.
- Learn basic design and research methods in HRI-SR.
- Engage in hands-on programming and customisation of robot platforms for various HRI-SR scenarios.
- Publish a short contribution in an academic conference.
The course combines theory with practical, multidisciplinary approaches. Students will examine the implications of social robotics in various domains while gaining insights into the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics.
By the end of the course, students will:
- understand key concepts in human-robot interaction (HRI) and the design principles behind socially interactive robots;
- be able to design and implement various design and research methods in HRI scenarios;
- program and customise a social robot for specific interaction scenarios;
- gain a basic understanding of MLOps and AIoT concepts;
- demonstrate knowledge of the ethical and societal implications of deploying social robots in various domains;
- collaboratively develop and present a prototype robot application addressing a real-world social challenge.
Accreditation
Every seven years, all Estonian higher education institutions must undergo external evaluation – institutional accreditation. The latest assessment took place in 2022. The assessment council of the Estonian Quality Agency for Education decided to accredit the University of Tartu for the next seven years (2023-2029).
Programme Structure
Day 1: Monday, 27 July
Introduction to HRI and social robotics
Day 2: Tuesday, 28 July
Research and design methods in HRI-social roboticsPrototyping (Computer-aided design and 3D printing)
Day 3: Wednesday, 29 July
State-of-the-art in HRI researchDesigning for anthropomorphismPrototyping (hands-on programming)
Day 4: Thursday, 30 July
Multimodality in HRI-social roboticsMLOps fundamentalsWorkshop (interaction design for social robots)
Day 5: Friday, 31 July
Privacy, ethics and security in HRI-social roboticsCase studies in various domainsScenario-based challenges release (group project starter pack)
August 1-2: Free
Day 8: Monday, 3 August
User-centred design principles for HRI-social robotics
Day 7: Tuesday, 4 August
HRI-SR in smart environments (IoT-SR)
Day 8: Wednesday, 5 August
Scientific reporting for HRI-social robotics
Day 9: Thursday, 6 August
Present preliminary experiment work
Day 10: Friday, 7 August
Final presentations
Audience
bachelor's, master's and PhD students
Lecturers
Farnaz BakshSocial Robotics ResearcherMatevž Borjan ZorecRobotics EngineerKarl KruusamäeRobotics Professor
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 10 days
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting
- Apply before
-
More details
Apply by 26 March 2026 to get the Early Bird discount
Language
English
Credits
3 ECTS
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
- Tartu, Estonia
Disciplines
Robotics View 3 other Short Courses in Robotics in EstoniaWhat students do after studying
Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.
Academic requirements
We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Other requirements
General requirements
Entry requirements:
- Online application form (application period April 1 - April 30 2025)
- Copy of passport
- Application fee of 25 EUR
Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner
Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.
Studyportals partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.
Get your student insurance nowStarting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.
Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Tartu and/or in Estonia, please visit Student Insurance Portal.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
-
International Applies to you
Applies to youNon-residents650 EUR / full≈ 650 EUR / full -
EU/EEA Applies to you
Applies to youEU/EEA Nationals650 EUR / full≈ 650 EUR / full
Living costs
Tartu
Estonia
300 - 600 EUR / month
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
1. Estonian National Scholarships at StudyinEstonia.ee.
2. ENLIGHT scholarship. The University of Tartu offers 10 scholarships for students from ENLIGHT partner universities: https://ut.ee/en/content/enlight-scholarship
3. Full tuition fee scholarship. The University of Tartu offers one scholarship for the course "Computational Immunology Summer School": https://ut.ee/en/content/ut-full-tuition-fee-coverage
Improve page content